Electric fire extinguishing and alarm system



/ 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. W. FROST. ELEGTRIG FIRE EXTINGUISHING AND ALARM SYSTEM. No. 350,126.

Patented Oct.'5. 1886.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. W. FROST.

ELECTRIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING AND ALARM SYSTEM.

No. 350,126. Patented Oct. 5, 1886.

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3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

' J. W. FROST. ELECTRIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING AND ALARM SYSTEM. No. 350,126.

Patented Oct. 5, 1886.

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PhalwL-lhogrzphln Waihmgion. D. c.

UNITE STATES ATENT Fries.

JOSFPII \V. FROST, OF ROCHESTER, NFAV YORK.

ELECTRIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING AND ALARM SYSTEM.

ZPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,126, dated October 5, 1886.

Application tiled February 6, 1896.

To (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Josnru \V. Fnos'r. of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a newand uset'ul Improvement in Electric Fire Extinguishing andAlarni Systemsnvhich improiwnuait isfully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to that class of iirc extinguishing devices in which the melting of fusible material causes a sprinkler to fall and. allow a flow of water, the said sprinkler in so doing also closing or opening an electric circuit, whereby an alarm is sounded. In some instances devices more or less similar have been cnq loyed to turn cocks forletting a suppl of water [low to the sprinkler.

This iiwention. consists in certain devices for insuring reliable action in automatically opening the cock; also, in the combination of said devices with thefalliug sprinkler and. other parts which co-operate in closing the circuit; also, in the combination ol" a series of sprinklers and cooperative parts with wires, pipes, an annunciator, and analarni, whereby the falling of asprinkler will cause the annunciator to announce the story where the tire occurs, and both the local alarm and district alarm to be sounded, all substantially as hereina't'ter set forth and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 11, Sheet 1, represents a vertical section of a building, showing several stories provided with sprinklers attached to water-pipes near the ceilings thereof, leading from the basement, with a battery, an alarm-bell, and other parts of an electrical fire-alarm system, stop-cock in the main pipein the basement, do; Fig. 2, Sheet 2, an enlarged view of a portion of the pipe in the basement, with the stop-cock and apparatus for operating the same, parts being shown in two positions by full and dotted lines; Fig. 3, a side View of the parts shown in Fig. 2, taken at right angles to said Fig. 2, from the side seen as i ndicated by arrow [12, a part of the pipe and stop-cock being vertically eeu trally sectioned; Fig. 4, Sheet 3, a side eleva-. tion of one of the sprinklers showing the circuit-closing device and other parts of the electrical system attached; Fig. 5, a View of the parts shown in Fig. 4, save that the lever is shown being turned down to allow the Serial X0. 191,006. (No model.)

sprinkler-disk to drop t'orthe purpose of opening the pipe and at the same time closing the circuit; and Fig. 6, a View of parts of the de- Yice shown in Fig. 5, showing a modification in. the manner of forming the circuit.

Referring to the parts, A are the walls 01' a. building; .13, thetloors thereol'; C, a system ol' water-pipes composed of a main pipe, 7), and lateral pipes d for the respective floors, said main pipe extending downward through the basement of the ln'iilding, to connect with the street-main.

D shows some suitable form or kind of sprinkling dc\'iees-such, for instance, as the one shown in Patent No. 2S7,07],-attached to the lateral pipesnear the ceilings of the rooms of the respect ive stories.

E is an electrical generating-battery, preterably located in the basement of thebuilding.

F is a trip-box, G'an annuneiator, and II an alarm-bell, all substantially of common kind.

K is a stop-cock for the water in the main pipe, located low in the basement of the build ing at a point below the frost.

L is an electro-magnet secured to the pipe or Otherwise in position to operate said cock by means more fully described hcreiubelow.

a is a current-wire leading from one pole of the battery to the electroanagnet, and thence joined to the water-pipe at c, said system of pipes constituting the remainder of the cir Quit-conductor for that pole of the battery.

f is the circuit-wire leading from the opposite pole of the battery running to the trip box F, thence to the central. ofiice or other point, as maybe desired, returning through the trip-box tothe bell H, and to the annunciator G.

g is a cnrrentwire attached to and insulatet'l from the sprinklers of the upper story of the building, carried thence downward, and joined to a post or spool ot' the annunciator.

h .is a circuit-wire similarly connected with the sprinklers D of the iiniddle story, and made to join a second spool or post of the annunciator, and 'i a third wire, similarly joined to the sprinklers in the baseinentstory, and conducted to a third post or helix of the annun ciator. From this construction and arrangement ot' parts it will be seen that if an electrical, connection be made between the wire g, for instance, and the water-pipe through one of, the sprinklers in the upper story the annunciatorwill announce the story, the local. bell will strike an alarm, and thedistrict central office alarm will also be sounded.

e, Sheet 3, are insulator-blocks, of rubber or other material, held to the respective, frames of the sprinklers byclamping-wires n, or other means, each insulator being provided with a button, 7:, to which, respectively, are attached the wires 9, 72, and '1'. The water-pipes and all parts of the sprinklers are electrically connected with one pole of the battery, as stated, so that a contact between any part thereof and either of the wires h, or '17 completes the circuit. Under each. of said buttons is secured a metallic circuit-closing tongue, I, electrically connected with the circuit-wire in position. to be touched by the sprinkling-disk p when it is dropped to open a pipe, as shown in Fig. 5.

This makes a connection between the poles of the battery at the sprinkler, and causes the alarms to sound, as above described. The stopcock K, for the water, is formed with a tapering plug, g, fitted to the interior of the shell or case, there being a hole, h, formed diametrically through. theplug at right angles to the axis of the latter, which hole, when the plug is turned so the axis of the hole corresponds with the axis of the pipes, forms a continuous communication between them above and below the stopcock; but when the plug is turned upon its axis so that the axis of the hole is at right angles to the axis of the pipes communication between. the pipes above and below is cut off,

7 and the flow ol' water through the pipes stopped. In this invention it is designed to have the plug stand normally in position to close the passage in the pipe, to prevent the water in the streetmaiu from, passing into the pipes to which the sprinklers are attached, and

' arrange a device by means of which the plug may be turned automatically to open communication in the pipe when the sprinklerdisk drops and closes the circuit.

0 is a weighted arm, fitted to turn upon a pivot, d, secured to thelarger end of the plug in posit-ion to correspond to the axis thereof. The plug is formed. with longitudinal projections 6' and f, in position to be encountered by the arm 0 as it swings one way or the other upon its pi vot. The opposing faces of these projections are of such distance apart that the arm is permitted to swing between them through an arc of about ninety degrees, said proj eetions being so related to the hole h in the plug that when the face of the projection e, for instance, is horizontal the hole in the plug will. also be horizontal and the flow of water stopped. Vhcn the face of the plug 0 is horizontal, the arm'o may be turned to a position about vertical, as shown.

a is a weight secured adjustably to the arm 0, on account of which the arm may be caused to fall with more or less force, and when it falls, as indicated in Fig. 2, and comes in contact with the face of the projection e the plug will be carried around so asto open communicati on through the pipe. By this means the fall through the pipes and allows the water to flow upward to the sprinklers.

s is astop-lever 0r detent for the arm 0, pivoted to a fixed pin, a, secured, as a matter of convenience, to the pipe 0. The lower end'ol:- this stop is constructed to engage the upper end of the weighted arm 0, holding the latter in a slightly-inclined position in the direction in which it is intended to fall. The upper end of the stop 3 is fitted to be engaged by a projection, c, 011 the under side of the armature derstood that when the parts are arranged as shown the weighted arm will be held to the position shown in full lines, and the stop for the water will be closed; but when an electrical current is passed through the eleetromagnet L the armature b will be drawn upward and allow the stop 8 to trip and the weighted arm to swing downward and open the stopcock. The helices of the magnet L are held in a frame, N, which is fastened to the pipe, as a matter of convenience. A slender spring, 6, tends to hold the armature down against the stop 8.

In the style of sprinkler shown the waterspreader p is held up against the end a of the pipe, to close the same, by means of a lever, t. Thislever is held in a vertical position by means of a soft-metal loop or ring, 1-, placed over the free end thereof, and a stud, z, rigid with the framc of the sprinkler. This metal ring is intended to melt at a comparatively low degree of heat, and thus release the lever, allowing the water-spreading diskto drop, as above stated, on account of which'a connection is formed with the tongue Z between the poles of the battery, causing the alarms to be sounded, the annuir ciator to act, and the stop-cock-Kto be opened, all as above described.

Instead of employing the system of waterpipes as a part of the circuit-conductor, and a parallel wire secured to the sprinkler to form the remainder of the circuit, two circuit-wires may be used, the pipe forming no part of the conductor. It is only a matter of choice or convenience whether the system of pipes or wires only are used as conductors for the electrical'currents. \Vhere two wires are used for the opposite poles of the battery, it is convenient to place them on opposite sides of the frame of the sprinklers, securing them to buttons held by similar insulating-blocks e, as shown in Fi 6, there being a tongue, Z, on either side of the sprinkler-frame connected with the respective circuit-wires, each of which tongues being touched by the'disk p a current connection is formed at once through said disk.

WVhat I claim as my invention is- 1. In a fire-extinguishing device, in combination with a water-pipe, a stop-cock therefor having a plug or stop for the flow of water provided wit-h a pivot-pin, d, aweighted arm held to turn upon said pivot-pin, pivoted stop .8, for said arm, an electro-magnet to release said stop, and a projection of said plug to reing of the weighted arm opens communication b of the clectro-magnet L. Now, it will be uneeive said arm, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A vertieallymovable sprinkler, a fusible attachment which prevents it from falling, a tongue arranged below said sprinkler to be strurk by the latter when its falls, ci rcuit-wires attarhed to said sprinkler and tongue, an electro-inagnet in the circuit with said wires, an nrmaturefor said magnet l'ormed withadetent, a, a pivoted stop, 8, held by said detent until the armature is attraebed,-a weighted lever, 0. engaged by said stop, and a plug or cut-oil arranged in the pipe whichsupplies the sprinkler, and having thelever attached to it, for the purpose set forth.

circuit, in order that on the falling of one of l the sprinklers the annuneintor may announce the story, the loral bell may strike an alarm, and the district central-office alarm may also be sounded, substantially as set forth.

.T. \V. FROST.

\Vitnesses:

l5. l3. \Vnrrnonn, 'FT. B. Knluu'r. 

